Wire reel support



Sept. 7, 1954 J. P. NICOLAS, JR

WIRE REEL SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 15, 1952 FIG. 2

| llllllillllllllllli Enventor Joseph P -'NICO|OS, Jr.

(Ittomegj P 7', 1954 J. P. NICOLAS, JR 2,688,454

WIRE SUPPORT Filed April 15, 1,952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 VD FIG. 3

- j [ll 7 4 3nventor Patented Sept. 7, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WIRE REEL SUPPORT Joseph P. Nicolas, Jr., Bellwood, Nebr. Application April 15, 1952, Serial No. 282,442

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to self-propelled vehicle supported reels, rota-ted by means of the motive power of the vehicle. Such reels may be for wire, and the vehicle may be a tractor having a power take-01f for rotating the reels.

An important object of the invention is to provide a simple but sturdy reel support for detachable connection with a vehicle and which is adapted to removably mount a reel.

Another important object is to provide a reel support as described which includes means to rotate a shaft which, in turn, rotates the reel spool, the shaft being quickly detachable with the reel spool mounted thereon, yet the reel spool may be readily slid on the shaft when the latter is removed from the reel support frame.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide for ready attachment of the reel support frame to a conventional drawbar of a tractor, employing ordinary nut and bolt assemblies.

A further object is to provide a reel support for attachment to a tractor in such a way that the support is disposed a substantially equal distance to either side of the longitudinal medial line of the tractor.

Other objects and. advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description of the invention, taken with the accompanying drawings forming portions. of this disclosure and in which drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a conventional tractor with the new reel support mounted upon the drawbar bracket thereof and operatively connected with the power take-ofi of the tractor.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the reel support removed from the tractor.

' Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section of a bearing forming a part of the reel support, substantially on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section of the bearing of Fig. 4 but in an open position.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal longitudinal section of the lower portion of the new reel support, substantially on the line fi6 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter A designates a wheeled vehicle having a power take-off B; the letter C, the new reel support and rotating 2 means; and D a reel spool supported by the means C.

The vehicle A may be a conventional tractor having a differential housing I0 comprising a plurality of exterior wall portions conventionally detachably connected, as by a plurality of bolt and nut assemblies II at opposite sides of the housing. The vehicle A is also provided with a drawbar including a substantially horizontallydisposed bracket [3 extending transversely of the tractor and generally below the plane of the bottom of the diiferential housing and to the rear of this housing. The bracket I3 is conventionally provided with a plurality of spaced-apart bolt shank-receiving; holes l4 extending longitudinally of the bracket, and shown in Fig. 6.

A conventional power take-off B includes a shaft l5 extending from the differential housing and conventionally rotatable in either direction as desired.

The new reel support and rotating means 0 comprises a frame 20, braces 2| therefor, means 22 to detachably mount the frame upon the drawbar l2, a removable shaft 23, bearing 24 for the shaft 23 and power transmitting means 25 between the power take-off shaft t5 and the removable shaft 23.

As may be seen, particularly in Fig 2, the frame 20 is enerally longer than the drawbar bracket l3 upon which it is mounted, and includes a lowermost substantially straight, horizontally-disposed portion 30 with upwardly extending inverted L- shaped extensions 3! at its ends. The portion 3!] is provided with a plurality of spaced-apart holes or openings 32, shown in Fig. 2, with these holes spaced longitudinally of the portion 30 so that they will axially align with at least some of the holes M in the drawbar bracket I3 and the holes M and 32 are preferably of the same diameters.

Welded or otherwise secured to the uppermost horizontal parts of the extensions 3| is an elongated portion or bar 33, whereby there is a space 34 provided between the two portions 30 and 33. Welded or otherwise secured to the portion 3:3, preferably at its outer end parts, are two upwardly-extending bearing supports 35 and 36. Each may comprise a pair of spaced-apart legs 3'! with a horizontally-disposed part 38 joining them. L

Extending from like legs 31 are two braces 21 which may be welded at one like end of each to its associated leg and the braces, which may be stout rods, extend forwardly to the differential housing It] and have, at their other like ends,

J holes or openings 40 to receive the shanks of some of the nut and bolt assemblies ll whereby the braces 2| may be secured to this housing without the employment of special securing means.

Means 22 to mount the frame 20 upon the drawbar [2 at the bracket 13 may be conventional nut and bolt assemblies with the shanks of the bolts extending through the axiallyaligned holes M and 32 and the nuts accommodated in the space 34.

The removable shaft 23 for the reel D is an elongated rod, which may have one extremity 45 polygonal (preferably square) in transverse section and the shaft carries an adjustable means 56 to limit movement in one direction of a reel spool mounted on the shaft 23. This means 46 may be a sleeve 47 slidable along the shaft and having a set screw 48 to secure it to the shaft. The opposite extremity or end portion 49 of the shaft 23 is cylindrical and a shoulder i9 is provided spaced inwardly from this cylindrical portion.

Referring mainly to Fig. 5, the bearing 24 comprises a fixed half portion 50 secured to the part 38 of the support 35, and a movable half portion which is preferably hinged to the portion 55 as by the hinge 52 and each portion 50 and 5! has an extension 53 and 54 respectively, extending longitudinally thereof to meet when the bearing portions are closed as in full lines in Fig. 5 and retained closed as by a thumb nut and bolt assembly 55 with the shank of the bolt of the assembly extending through suitable aligning openings 56 and 57 in the extensions 53 and 54. The end portion 48 of the shaft 23 mounts a ball bearing race or assembly 58 with one end of the outer assembly housing abutting the shoulder se and the other end of this housing retained by an abutment as a cotter pin 59 adjacent the outer end of the. end portion 39, which extends through a suitable opening transversely of the portion M. The ball bearing race or assembly 55 is, of course, enclosed and gripped by the walls of the bearing 24.

The power transmitting means 25 includes two meshing bevel gears 65 and 65 mounted upon shafts =5! and 68 respectively with the shafts journailed in bearings 59, I9 and El fixedly carried by the frame portion 33. The shaft 6! carrying the gear $5 extends through the bearing 69, whose longitudinal. axis substantially parallels that of the portion 33, and this shaft carries a conventional universal joint (2, for operative connection with the shaft [5 of the power take-off B. The shaft 85 mounts the bevel gear 65 and extends through the bearings and ii. Its outer end extends through a split bearing l2 and fixedly mounts a pulley l3 over which is trained a belt 74 which is also trained over a pulley l5 fixedly carried by a shaft 75 extending through a bearing ll secured to the upper face of the portion 38 of the bearing support 35. The free end portion of the shaft i6 fixedly carries a socketed means which is a member l8 having a polygonal (preferably square walled) socket F9 to slidably receive the like polygonal extremity $5 of the shaft 23. The member l8 has an additional function since it provides an abutment (cooperating with the abutment fill) to limit movements of a reel spool mounted upon the shaft 23, as is now obvious.

With the power shut off, the two parts of the bearing 24 are separated and the shaft 23 withdrawn from the socket it and a reel D mounted upon the shaft. The square extremity 45 of the shaft 23 is then inserted into the socket l9 and the opposite end portion 49 is disposed within the bearing, with the extension parts 53 and 54 separated whereupon the parts 53 and 54 are secured together by the means 55. Thereupon the sleeve 41 is slid along the shaft 23 to abut one end of the reel spool, while the other end of the latter abuts the member '18. Upon rotation of the shaft l5, power will be imparted to the shaft 23 to either reel in upon the reel or pay out therefrom a flexible strand, as wire.

It is clear that when a reel spool D is to be removed from the shaft 23, it may be readily slid off the shaft, since the extremity 45 of the latter is free of the socketed member 18 which otherwise limits sliding movement of the reel spool.

Various changes may be made to the form of the invention herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with the horizontal drawbar bracket of a tractor, a reel support including a frame provided with a lowermost elongated horizontally-disposed portion having inverted L- shaped extremities, an uppermost elongated portion rigidly mounted upon said extremities, with said portions providing a space between them, spaced-apart supports extending from said uppermost portion and away from said space, a reel spool shaft, means carried by said supports for rotatably mounting said reel spool shaft thereon, and means for removably securing said lowermost portion to said bracket, said lastnamed means extending into said space.

2. In combination with the horizontal drawbar bracket of a tractor, a reel support including a frame provided with a lowermost elongated horizontally-disposed portion having inverted L- shaped extremities, an uppermost elongated por tion rigidly mounted upon said extremities, with said portions providing a space between them, spaced-apart supports extending from said uppermost portion and away from said space, a reel shaft, means carried by said supports for rotatably mounting said reel spool shaft thereon, and means for removably securing said lowermost portion to said bracket, said last-named means extending into said space and being below and remote from said shaft.

3. In combination with the horizontal drawbar bracket and power take-off of a tractor, a reel support including a frame provided with a lowermost elongated horizontally-disposed portion having inverted L-shaped extremities, an uppermost elongated portion rigidly mounted upon said extremities, with said portions providing a space between them, spaced-apart supports extending from said uppermost portion and away from said space, a reel spool shaft, means carried by said supports for rotatably mounting said reel spool shaft thereon, means for rotating said reel spool shaft by said power take-off including a shaft, operatively connected with said power take-oif and rotatably carried by said uppermost elongated portion, and means for removably securing said lowermost portion to said bracket, said last named means extending into said space and out of the path of said means for rotating said reel spool shaft.

4. In combination with the horizontal drawbar bracket and power take-off of a tractor, a reel support including a frame provided with a lowermost elongated horizontally-disposed portion having upwardly-extending extremities, an uppermost elongated portion rigidly mounted upon said extremities, with said portions providing a space between them, spaced-apart supports extending from said uppermost portion and away from said space, a reel spool shaft, means carried by said supports for rotatably mounting said reel spool shaft thereon, means for rotating said reel spool shaft by said power take-off including a shaft, operatively connected with said power take- 10 ofi and rotatably carried by said uppermost elongated portion, and means for removably securing said lowermost portion to said bracket, said last named means extending into said space and out of the path of said means for rotating said reel spool shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 324,887 Shoesmith Aug. 25, 1885 1,142,035 Hanson June 8, 1915 1,654,106 Allensworth et al. Dec. 27, 1927 2,344,795 Weber Mar. 21, 19447 

